Well, this afternoon I want to talk to you about Christ as the light who has dawned. And I want to begin in Matthew 4, for those who have Bibles, and for those who don't, I'll just read it plainly enough that you can understand it. And then I'm going to turn to John 1, verse 9, and read one verse there as well. This is what it says in Matthew 4. Matthew 4 and verses 12 to 16, it says, Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he departed to Galilee. leaving Nazareth he came and dwelt in Capernaum which is by the sea in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people who sat in darkness and have seen a great light. And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned." Now listen to John chapter 1 and verse 9 as well. In fact, I think I'll read just a few verses here. It says, there was a man, verse 6, sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." So as I think about many people who are not joyful at this Christmas season. I wonder if the reason is that they are unhappy is that they have not thought enough about how great a gift Christ is that God has given to us and that we should be rejoicing in here at this season. How wonderful it is that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, from all of eternity became a man and entered this world through the womb of his mother, Mary. So I believe that the remedy for a joyless spirit is to be found in believing the words which God has given to us here in John 1, 9. That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into So let me ask you as I begin this message, whether you have this wonderful light shining in your heart. I believe you do. Are you joyful because you've received him? The light of the world. Are you joyfully walking in his light? He's the light of the world. He's the shepherd, the helper, the friend. of all of his people. Let me give you a couple of reasons why you need to think about Christ as the light of the world. First of all, you need to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the light, the one who is shining to all the world the knowledge of his grace and his glory. And those were the verses I read to you over in Matthew chapter 4. where it says, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned. So what's being spoken about here is the dawning of spiritual light upon this dark world that sits in darkness. I found it interesting that in the passage that we're thinking about that it's also mentioned in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6, that those people would see this light when Jesus came to Galilee. And in the passage in Matthew, it says that the people who sat in darkness, who sat in the region and shadow of death, that light had dawned upon them. So I believe that the implication is that when men sit down, in spiritual darkness after they've been walking for a while in it, that it's not their intention to leave that realm of darkness for the light. They're content to remain in their darkened state of doing what they want to do in their sin. In this passage in Matthew, this is confirmed for us by what Jesus Christ said to these people in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, as he began his ministry, he said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom of heaven had come to earth in the person of the Lord Jesus. But I want you to see here that in the Lord Jesus, there is a concentration of spiritual light. Spiritual light. so that you and I could see spiritual things by His light. And this light could not be ignored even from the time of Jesus' birth and all through His life. He is spiritually called the Son of Righteousness, S-U-N, of Righteousness, who arises with healing in His wings. It says in Malachi 4.2, His was the light of deity, which came to dwell in human nature, perfect, pure, and holy. You remember we sing, and maybe we can sing this afterwards, fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature, Son of God and Son of man, thee will I cherish, thee will I honor. Thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown. Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight, and all the twinkling starry host. Jesus shines brighter. Jesus shines purer than all the angels heaven can boast. So Jesus' light, spiritual light, was the greatest light that had ever been seen by men. His light began shining at the time of His birth, and He was and He is the light of light, the light of God, joined together with sinless humanity. God dwells, it says in the book of 1 Timothy, in unapproachable light. who no man can see or has seen, but Jesus is the light of this dark world. When He was walking upon this earth, He was seen by men and shown upon men, not with a physical light, but rather with a spiritual light. John chapter 1, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God, He was in the beginning with God, all things were made through Him, And without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was the life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." So here we have the paradox. Isn't that beautiful? We have a paradox here. The life of Christ was the light of men. He was shining in the darkness of their world, but they did not comprehend it. When they looked at Him, they couldn't perceive it right away. Because His glory, His great glory as the Son of God, was somewhat concealed when He took upon Himself human form. Not that He didn't have glory, Not that it didn't shine forth, it did in his teaching and his works and his person even, but men did not understand when they looked at him for the first time sometimes. So, Jesus is still shining in the darkness of our world today through his church, and by the good and gracious influences of His Holy Spirit, but men do not comprehend it by nature, which is why so many people do not believe in the Lord Jesus. They ask themselves, how could salvation be found in a babe? How could perfect truth and perfect light be found in a man? That is because deity was there, coupled with humanity together So that's why it says there was a man sent from God whose name was John The man this man came for a witness to bear witness of the light That all through him might believe he was not that light But was sent to bear witness of that light meaning Jesus That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. So I hope you can see here that there's a general influence which when it comes to us through the preaching of the gospel, it reaches out to every man coming into the world to be able to feel and experience and know that there is salvation for a sinner who will believe in Jesus, which is why I'm here this afternoon. It does not mean that everyone who feels and senses these good and gracious influences of Christ's light and warmth of love is saved yet. No, we can't say that. But Christ's light is shining on them. And if you believe the gospel, that you are sinful by nature, and that you must have Christ's perfect work of doing what was right and dying on the cross for your sins, you will be saved. Bible says, and you will know the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart in the new birth, being born again. But I want you to see that Jesus really does shine brightly and warmly to all men in the spiritual realm of this fallen world. A sinful, unbelieving person can deny the truth of this, and may never really want to believe it, but nevertheless it's so. That Jesus is the light of the world. And darkness is the sinfulness of men's hearts. So light is not only truth, the truth of Christ and the truth of the Bible, which is found in the scriptures, but it's also the truth of the Bible lived out in compassion for people around you. When you show Christian love to others around you, it's because you've understood that God's love and light have been shown to you. The passage is saying that if there is some brother in Christ who you find that you cannot love, you need to question whether you are walking in the light. The darkness has blinded your eyes if you can't love another brother in Christ. And you need to examine what you're doing. You need to think about the way that you're thinking. That is, that your thoughts have led you to that place where you have a broken relationship with a brother or sister. But Christ's light shines in the darkness, and Christ's light overcomes the darkness. Christ's light was shining even from His birth, because He was the gift of God's love to sinful men everywhere. the hymn Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God, loves pure light, radiant beams from Thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord at Thy birth, Jesus Lord at Thy birth. So, my second point to you is this, we should all think about the truth that the Lord Jesus is that true light who gives spiritual light and guidance to you personally. Now, there's a difference. There's a difference between a general light shining and the specific light shining in your heart. Jesus, when you come to know him, gives you that spiritual light and guidance to you personally. John 1.9 gives us this tremendous statement that he who is light gives light. And all spiritual light is intrinsically to be found in Christ and in God. He's the light of the world and the light of life. He's the one who enlightens every man coming into the world. I read to you a few minutes ago, but in John 1.12 and 13, John speaks about the great responsibility that each of us has to receive Christ and his light for ourselves personally. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right, that is the authority, the honor, the word is excusion in the Greek, to become children of God to those who believe in his name. who were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God." In other words, it's not your relative who knows the Lord that can get you to heaven, not by blood, nor the will of the flesh. It's not your own decision or your own will that can get you to heaven, although you do need to make a decision regarding Christ. It's not the will of the flesh, the strength of your own determination, to become a Christian and to live the Christian life, although that's something you need to be determined to do. I will follow Jesus. So there were Jews and even some Gentiles who received Jesus Christ as the true light of the world. They received His teaching and they followed Him. And the reason that they followed Him was because they beheld His glory, not only in the miracles which He did, but also the righteous character of his life. To receive Christ is to take him by faith as your Savior and Lord. To receive him is to ask him in prayer to come into your life and change your heart. Have you done that? When you do that, then you come to know the reality of Christ in you, the hope of glory. You'll no longer love darkness. And so you'll pursue righteousness, right things, and you'll walk in the light of His truth, which is found in the Bible. So to receive Christ is to receive Him in all of His offices as what? Prophet, priest, and king. And why do we need Him as a prophet? My wife knows all the answers to this. Because we are ignorant and need to be taught, don't we, the truth of the Bible. And then a priest. Why do we need him as priest? We are guilty, don't we? And we need his atonement for our sins. And king. Because we are weak and helpless. That is in ourselves to be able to really do all we want to do. So that's really good, to have my wife here to help me with those answers. Now, let me ask you if you've received Jesus in that way. Do you say, Jesus, teach me? Teach me, Lord, the way I ought to walk, the way I ought to live, the way I ought to think. Oh, it's a precious thing, isn't it, to be the disciple of the Lord Jesus? It's such a blessed thing to be able to pray to God, isn't it? Every day, and to be able to know that He's in your heart. there speaking to you in relation to the truth of the Bible and giving you the assurance that you're His child. So, that's what it means to be saved. Those are the primary acts of your heart and mind when you want to be saved, is you receive Christ and you believe in Christ. You receive Him in His person as the Son of God and Son of Man, and you rest in His finished work of righteousness, that He did everything perfectly, and then His finished work also then on the cross where He died for all of our sins and made that blessed atonement on our behalf. But we must go farther back if we are to rightly understand what God the Father and Christ the Light and God the Holy Spirit really do when they save a person, you must understand that when you believe in Jesus, as it says in Ephesians 1.13, that you receive the Holy Spirit so that Christ can be your teacher and lead you into the truth. that you'll need to learn to grow up into him. It says, in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. So Christ's Spirit is given to you as your teacher and your helper in regard to the development of your faith. and the promoter of good works in you. Now, you're not saved by good works, but you're saved unto good works. In other words, that you might learn to do the good things that God's commanded in the Bible of you. You're not saved by trying to do those good things, but once you're saved, then you try to do good works to help other people and to please God by your good works. So there's a development, I'm trying to say, in your faith When you have the Holy Spirit with you, you're sealed with Him as the guarantee of your inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. Who is the purchased possession? Yes, we are, who have believed in Jesus. He has been given to you, the Holy Spirit has, so that you know that the Father has adopted you. into God's family. What a blessed truth it is that we are the children of God, sons and daughters of Almighty God. Isn't that wonderful to think about? Do you see Christ as the light of the world in this particular way that your spiritual eyes are open to the continual need that you have of Christ? Now, this is where we sometimes, well, we just don't understand sometimes. And it's a very blessed thing when we do, that we not only realize our need of Christ to save us, but we also see our need of Christ to keep us, to watch over us. to work in our heart to give us not only assurance, but to help us in every difficult situation that we find ourselves in. Because otherwise, what will prevent you from getting very discouraged and downcast? Well, you will, unless you realize that the Holy Spirit is right there with you when you believe in Jesus, and He's leading you right along in life. He's teaching you every good thing that you need to learn. And that's why it says in Luke 18.1 that men ought always to pray and not to faint. But we do faint sometimes, don't we? Does Christ forgive us? He does. Does the Holy Spirit lift us up again? He does, doesn't He? So that we can rejoice in our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father and realize that this God who has given us so many precious and magnificent promises, is working in our heart, day by day. So, the Father, through Christ, shines His light into your heart, opens your ears by the Spirit to spiritually hear and your eyes to see, and so then you volunteer freely, it says in the Bible, in Psalm 110, to come to Christ for salvation in the day of His power. That's His power in your life, working in your life. But now I want you to see that throughout the rest of your life, you're going to be proving God's faithfulness to you. And God is faithful. Now that's something that we sometimes doubt or we don't see it clearly enough, but why? It's because our faith isn't an exercise. And when we don't have faith and exercise, then we tend to become discouraged and doubtful and fearful. And it's hard for us to understand why we're going through the situations that we're going through in life and why we don't see greater help right away from God. We have to learn to trust Him in those dark times and say, Lord, I know you're there. I know you're here with me. And I know you're my helper in everything. So it's not being disappointed in Him, because God always does what is right. And if we can just remember that, that will help us immensely. But rather, learn from Him. You remember what it says in Matthew 11? Verse 28, coming to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul. So if you come to him and you keep coming to him in faith and a means of prayer, you're learning to trust in him in every difficult situation. Lord, teach me what I need to learn. It says, he who believes in me will not come into judgment but will have the light of life. He who believes in me will not be disappointed. He who believes in me will not be put to shame." Oh, those are such good promises, aren't they? You'll have the light of life, the light shining on your path, the path of righteousness. And that's going to be the way that He guides you and brings you all the way to heaven. We're moving toward heaven. We're gonna see Jesus in days to come. What an exciting thing. Because we're being guided. We're gonna be brought all the way to heaven in eternal life. And you know what? You can have joy in the journey. If you'll remember these things that I've taught you here. This afternoon, Jesus says, walk with me by faith in me all the way to heaven. and I will shine the light and spiritually you will hold my hand." Well, let's pray together. Lord, we thank you for this time. We thank you that you speak to us through the scriptures. We thank you that you shine your glorious light into our hearts. You are the light of the world. You are the light that shines on every man coming into the world. And yet so many don't seem to understand or to realize the greatness and the glory of your light, Lord Jesus. So we pray that you would come and manifest this light more and more to many people in this nursing home who need you. Shine the blessed light and lift them up. Lift up the people that are downcast. Lift up the people that are discouraged to behold the greatness of your strength of salvation and glory and help to them day by day. We do pray that you will come and minister to many in this place who are hurting, doubting, fearful, or discouraged today, that you'll minister to them, even by the Spirit, even by your light, even by your truth, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.